Snow begins to pummel NYC as subway and commuter train changes announced

Graham Ave. in Brooklyn is covered in snow in this photo from Jan. 3, 2014. A blizzard that could be worse than any snowfall the city since 2011 is threatening the city, with up to 3 feet expected between Monday and early Wednesday. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News)

As snow began to blanket the tri-state area, and airlines cancelled flights by the hundreds, Cuomo and his New Jersey counterpart, Gov. Chris Christie, declared a state of emergency in their respective states.

Cuomo, in a press conference that began shortly after noon, said the Long Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Railroad expect to suspend service as of 11 p.m. Monday. The city's subways would run limited service starting at 7 or 8 p.m. Monday. And Cuomo said he is considering banning all vehicular travel except for emergency responders after 11 p.m. but that a final decision has not been made. Connecticut has put such a roadway travel restriction in place starting at 9 p.m.

Cuomo said plans will be finalized after a new weather report is received, expected at 4 p.m.

"This is not an evening or a night to be out and about," Cuomo said, urging people to stay home whenever possible.

New Yorkers hoping to catch a flight to escape the storm may have already missed the plane.

Massive snow storm hits NYC, Northeast

More than 1,400 flights out of or into the region's three major airports have already been canceled Monday morning, according to website FlightAware, in anticipation of a massive blizzard that could drop 2 to 3 feet of snow on the tristate area up through New England.

United Airlines, which operates a hub out of Newark, is scaling back operations beginning Monday night and will cancel all flights Tuesday -- when the brunt of the snow will hit -- at Newark, LaGuardia and JFK, as well as Boston and Philadelphia, an airline spokeswoman told the Daily News.

Major airlines, including United, American, Delta and JetBlue, are waiving fees for travelers who need to adjust their plans to avoid the blizzard.

The snow blast will only intensify as Monday wears on, officials say, with up to 3 inches falling during the workday before heavy snow settles in around the evening commute and overnight.

The National Weather Service predicts blizzard-like conditions to whip up winds as high as 65 mph and drop as much as 30 inches of snow.

"We are facing, most likely, one of the largest snowstorms in the history of this city," Mayor de Blasio told reporters Sunday.

"Don't underestimate this storm. Even walking should be kept to a minimum."

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Expected snow totals.

Schools will be open Monday, but after-school programs were preemptively canceled. School will likely be closed Tuesday.

The prior all-time snow record for Jan. 26, 2011, when 12.3 inches fell, followed the next day by another 6.7 inches, records show. The city's all-time record occurred Feb. 11-12, 2006, when New York was blanketed with 26.9 inches, according to city officials.

Worst snowstorms in New York City history

"We are already forecasting more than that," said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Pollina. "It is a potentially historic storm."

Snow is expected to taper off late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, meteorologists said.

The city plans to dispatch nearly 500 salt spreaders ahead of that snowfall, according to de Blasio. There will be 2,100 snowplows deployed on city streets after the first 2 inches of snow. Another 4,200 plows from independent contractors are ready to be dispatched, he added.

The Transportation and Sanitation Departments have also hired additional day laborers for shoveling.

The storm is expected to increase in severity after 6 p.m. Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

"The evening rush hour is going to be a huge problem," Hizzoner said.

As a precaution, the city Office of Emergency Management called the National Guard for support for emergency vehicles, said agency commissioner Joseph Esposito.

The Parks Department also urged New Yorkers to avoid using parks until Wednesday morning to avoid falling branches and icy paths.

How bad New York could get pummeled is contingent on the storm's path through the Northeast.

The slow-moving system is expected to produce blizzard conditions — at least three hours of wind gusts of 35 mph or greater and visibility of less than a quarter of a mile because of snow.

But the storm could stall before it tracks out to sea, according to the National Weather Service.

"We keep on restocking the shelf all the time," said Nick Mohabir, 42, assistant manager of Bruno's Home Center in Downtown Brooklyn.

The crowd arrived as soon as the store at 85 Court St. opened at 10 a.m., he said. "Everybody right now is coming in," he said Sunday afternoon. "The last storm we had two days ago we barely sold anything but today people are going crazy. They are afraid of the storm."

Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia urged drivers to stay off the roads to allow snowplows to do their job.

"This is going to be an incredibly difficult storm for us to fight," she said.

De Blasio suggested New Yorkers leave work as soon as possible on Monday before the snow begins to fall.

The mayor cautioned: "Prepare for the worst and we will get through this together."